Women of Action: Kelly McGillis – Top Gun
The deal was sealed the moment that Pete Mitchell broke out The Righteous Brothers in that bar. No woman stands much of a chance against that.
Kelly McGillis plays the role of “Charlie”, a civilian flight instructor at the famed Miramar Top Gun school. It’s attended by the nation’s top naval aviators and while McGillis’ character is based on a real person (Christine Fox), I can’t imagine a world where she is both incredibly attractive and so liberally available when dating her students. Either way, it makes for some interesting and exciting days in the classroom.
The love affair that develops between McGillis and Cruise wasn’t originally as involved as it is shown in the final cut. Several months after filming, the two had to return to their roles to film a couple of connecting scenes between their characters and one very important scene where they bump uglies in the moonlight. McGillis had already dyed her hair a different color and Cruise had grown his out for a different movie so you’ll understand why this scene is filmed in the dark and the scene in the elevator seems so out of place.
McGillis received sex icon status overnight with this film. I always remembered a handful of things from this movie as a kid: the amazing soundtrack, how cool it seemed being a F-14 pilot, and Kelly McGillis being a total hottie. Returning to the film all these years later I can’t help but look at it through the lens of 2019 and see how weak the character of Charlie seems. Luckily for me, I don’t give a shit and I can just enjoy this fantastic slice of 1986.
